Board Gives Top Official Title of CEO

Ventura County’s top manager will be called chief executive officer, the Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday, capping a series of reforms aimed at tightening control over county finances.

The change in title from chief administrative officer may seem minor, Chief Executive Johnny Johnston said, but it holds symbolic significance for those watching how the county’s $1-billion budget and 7,100 employees are managed.

The new title strengthens his hand when he travels to Wall Street later this month to seek favorable credit ratings on the millions of dollars in bonds the county takes out every year, Johnston said, showing that the Board of Supervisors is serious about changes needed to keep the budget under control.

Johnston, who took the top job last month, told supervisors that symbols “are the way we communicate.”

“And at this early stage of my career, I wanted to communicate something,” he said.

Board approval came despite the vehement protest of Supervisor John Flynn, who said he viewed the new title as an assault on his political power.

“What we are really doing is adopting a corporate model,” Flynn said. “And if that’s what we’re doing, why don’t we call ourselves a board of directors? . . . We are taking our political authority and we are delivering it to this CAO. Do you want to do that?”

The board answered with a 4-1 vote in favor of the change.

Although Johnston will now be the official spokesman for county government, Supervisor Judy Mikels said board members are still free to voice their opinion on issues facing them.

“The CEO hires, fires and runs the day-to-day business of government,” Mikels said. “We’re here as policymakers--that’s where our authority is . . . I don’t feel I am giving up any power at all.”

Under the guidance of former Chief Administrator Harry Hufford, the board in November beefed up the authority of the county’s top manager. In addition to making personnel decisions, the chief executive has more centralized control of county finances and a financial deputy.

Johnston must be notified in advance whenever department managers schedule meetings with supervisors--an attempt to end a historical practice of circumventing the chief administrator to gather votes.

And he has taken control of fiscal forecasting and budget analysis duties from the auditor-controller’s office.

The changes came after former Chief Administrator David Baker resigned after a week on the job, saying the county’s structure left the chief administrator too weak to turn around financial problems. Hufford was brought in to fill the temporary post of chief administrator and recommend changes.

Even with reforms, Johnston warned that the board must be vigilant in making sure it does not fall back on a pattern of spending more money each year than the county takes in.

“Harry Hufford did yeoman’s duty,” Johnston said, “but he didn’t print any money and he didn’t leave any secrets to me on how we can do that.”

Flynn said he is worried that Johnston will become the “political boss” of the county.

“There’s no difference between him and the speaker of the Assembly,” Flynn said. “And I just can’t buy that.”

Johnston assured Flynn he has no plan to usurp the supervisors’ political authority. His intention is to “slowly and methodically” continue the changes that Hufford began.

“My public commitment is to the task,” he said. “I’ve already exceeded Mr. Baker’s tenure and I’m closing in on Harry’s. I signed a five-year contract and I intend to fulfill that.”